This invention relates to a printer controller for organizing data from a host computer to print the data on a print engine, preferably of the type using charged transfer imaging, and more particularly to an image generator used in the printer controller.
Printer controllers which are designed to receive data from the host computer are commonly limited to locating cells relative to one another in a fixed manner dictated by each cell being located by reference to the cells around it. The cells can not be overlapped or start at the same location. Such limitations restrict the kind of text information that can be handled by the controller and printed as hard copy by a print engine. Such techniques as proportional spacing, kerning, superscripts, subscripts, and mixed point sizes of text may not be possible. The limitations on the locations of the cells may also restrict the locations of bit maps and text information. As a result the overlay of a bit map representing a business form with text information may not be possible.